Brewers Rally From Four Down to Take a 2 and 0 World Series Lead

The Milwaukee Brewers erased a four run first inning deficit and beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5 to 4 on Saturday night at American Family Field to take a 2 and 0 lead in the World Series. The game ended in the early hours of Sunday, and the series now moves to Florida with the Rays needing to win four of the next five. [1] [2] The first two games of this series have been the first Fall Classic games played in Milwaukee in 44 years, and the home team has now won both of them. [2] Saturday's game followed a familiar October script: an early lead built partly on opponent mistakes, a patient chase, and a bullpen that refused to give the lead back. How the Rays Built a Four Run Lead Tampa Bay's first inning was a three hit rally with a costly error attached. Shortstop Cooper Pratt, a rookie, made his fourth error of the postseason on Yandy Diaz's leadoff grounder, and the inning continued with RBI singles from Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero plus a two run home run from catcher Liam Hicks. The four run first was the highest scoring World Series first inning since Game 4 in 1993. [1] The Rays were set up well before the game even started. Their ace, Drew Rasmussen, was pitching on an extra day of rest, and Tampa Bay's best relievers were largely fresh. [2] The lead, though, was built on an error fueled rally rather than sustained pressure, and Milwaukee answered immediately with two runs in the bottom of the first after Jonathan Aranda dropped a foul pop. [1] Rasmussen's start turned out to be his briefest and least effective of an otherwise excellent postseason, according to Major League Baseball's own takeaways from the game. [2] A four run cushion against this Brewers lineup was never going to be safe, and the game steadily tilted after the first. How the Brewers Took the Game Back Milwaukee chipped away rather than exploded. The Brewers scored twice in the first, added a run in the fourth on another Rays error, and entered the sixth inning still trailing by one. [1] The tying blow came from Sal Frelick, who hit a home run to center field in the sixth inning for his first home run in three months, ending a stretch of 103 plate appearances without one. [1] The go ahead run came from the same player whose error had opened the door for Tampa Bay in the first inning. Cooper Pratt singled in the seventh to score Brice Turang, and the Brewers led 5 to 4. [1] The Milwaukee pitching staff did the rest. Rookie starter Logan Henderson allowed the four first inning runs and nothing else of consequence, and the bullpen shut out the Rays over the final innings, with Aaron Ashby striking out Yandy Diaz to strand the tying run at third base in the ninth. [1] A team that hands its opponent four outs and four runs in the first inning and still wins has usually done something right in the other eight. What Game 3 Looks Like The series shifts to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg for Game 3 on Monday night. The confirmed pitching matchup is Freddy Peralta for the Rays against Robert Gasser for the Brewers. [1] Both starters arrive with strong recent credentials. Peralta, a former Brewer, was named the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series and has gone 2 to 0 with a 1.08 earned run average this postseason across three starts and one relief appearance. Gasser has allowed one run over nine innings in his first two postseason starts. [1] Those are the facts in hand. The Rays must now win four of five against a team that has beaten them twice at American Family Field in Milwaukee, while the Brewers need two more wins to close the series. A 2 and 0 lead feels commanding, and historically it usually is, but the venue changes and so does the pressure distribution. Tampa Bay's path requires immediate success at home. SBA Takeaway The Brewers came back from four runs down to win Game 2 and take a 2 and 0 World Series lead, and the details matter more than the headline. The Rays' lead was error fueled, their ace had his worst start of the postseason, and Milwaukee's pitching held Tampa Bay scoreless after the first inning. Game 3 on Monday features Freddy Peralta against Robert Gasser at Tropicana Field. Verify the confirmed matchup facts, respect what a 2 and 0 lead has historically meant, and do not treat a comeback win as proof of either team's baseline. The series is not over until a fourth win exists. Sources - [1] ESPN Brewers 5 to 4 Rays, World Series Game 2 recap - [2] MLB.com Key takeaways as Brewers take commanding 2 to 0 lead in World Series Related Reading - Brewers Hold Off Rays 3 to 2 in World Series Game 1 - Rays Confirm Nick Martinez for World Series Game 1 - Rays Take a 3 to 2 ALCS Lead Behind Rasmussen